Author: Zac Cupples

Manual Therapy

Does manual therapy have a place? Manual therapy is one of the more polarizing topics in the movement world, and no doubt you might wonder if this modality is efficacious for improving pain and/or movement. The evidence on manual therapy in isolation is mixed, but perhaps the modality itself is not the problem. Perhaps the problem is not having a model that can explain the utility of manual therapy, when to use it, and why. With a decision-making model, manual therapy is something that can most definitely fit within the interventions you like. Ready to see how manual therapy can be best applied for your supreme clientele? Then check out Movement Debrief Episode 139 below!

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The Keys to Improving Your Upper Airway

Sleep apnea, upper airway resistance, snoring, grinding your teeth, ADHD; what do all of these areas have in common? Many of these conditions can be attributed to problems in the upper airway, including tongue position, airway structure, and more. The ability to maximize your ability to breathe in this area is critical and was the topic of a podcast I did with Dr. Mike T. Nelson. Here is the list of things we discussed:  Avoiding dentures What proper mouth structure should be The connection between sleep and mouth structure The connection between ADHD and other behavior issues and airway What to ask for with a sleep study At home sleep apnea testing: Watch-PAT Addressing oral posture sooner rather than later How much can you change It takes a team to be fully optimized Recommendations on what to do and where to go This podcast will help guide you through all the steps you need to maximize your airway, sleep, and health.  Click the link below to learn more. Cranial Face Structures, Nasal Breathing, Orthodontics, Tongue Position, and More Unlikely Performance Limiters: Interview with Zac Cupples  

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The Essential Gym Equipment

If you want to improve your movement capabilities, is there gym equipment that can help you? If moving better is important to you, you’ve probably wondered what gym equipment would best help me reach that goal? Gym equipment is endless and often gimmicky, so what would the essentials be to get me to where I want to go? Fortunately, you can improve your movement capabilities without much equipment. Being able to position your body with many of the coaching tactics we discussed is the #majorkey That said, there are some equipment pieces that make coaching WAY EASIER. And I’ll tier this for you fine folks based on your budget 🙂  If you are just building a home gym or beefing up your current gym, then check out Movement Debrief Episode 138 below!

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The Healthiest Home Office

What is the best home office set up for health and productivity? No doubt your virtual work has increased since COVID began, but should you spend more time sitting, standing, or even on the treadmill as you work? Unsure what equipment is going to keep you healthy, productive, and moving like a BOSS? Surprisingly, there is a TON of debate around what type of desk or sitting recommendation is most effective for health and work output. The winner isn’t clear cut. If you want to beef up your workspace, then Check out Movement Debrief Episode 137 below to learn how.

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Incorporating Breathing into Training

Struggle knowing where breathwork fits? You might be head over heels for all things breathing, but what if your clients aren’t? Maybe you are the person who struggles to get buy-in to breathing-based exercises? Or you are unsure where to put it into training. Or maybe you are looking for sneaky ways to incorporate the principles WITHOUT YOUR CLIENTS EVEN KNOWING. The biggest error peeps make incorporating breathwork into training is making it something separate.  In fact, looking at movement in this fashion is an all-encompassing model. Following principles that go BEYOND BREATHING is a major key. Don’t worry folks, we will go over those principles, and make it SUPER EASY to get your clients all the benefits with less pushback. Check out Movement Debrief Episode 136 below to learn how.

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Shoulder Flexion Troubleshooting

Can’t get overhead? Let’s figure out how! If you can raise your arm fully overhead WITHOUT compensating, don’t read any further! But if you are like most of us, reaching overhead probably draws its fair share of LOLZZZ. Yet raising your arm overhead is HELLA important for things like lifting weights, moving your neck freely, and even rotation through the ribcage.  So if ya ain’t got it, you might want to work on it! That’s why I put out this debrief for you that dives into mechanics, what directions to reach and clarifies any confusion that may surround arm elevation biomechanics.  Let’s channel our inner Josh Groban and raise you up (your arm that is).

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